Page 134 of Yours to Keep
He doesn’t see himself as a monster. He sees himself as the man who loved me enough to fix me.
“Where’s Finn?” The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it.
Something dark flickers across his face. “That’s the first thing you ask me?”
I swallow. “Is he okay?”
He sighs as though Finn is little more than an inconvenience. “You’re worried about him.”
I don’t answer.
“Please.” The word escapes before I can stop it.
His smile grows. “Oh, sweetheart.” His finger trails slowly down my cheek. My skin crawls. God, I hate that name. There was a time when it made me feel cherished, safe, loved, but now it feels like a knife sliding between my ribs.
He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear with unbearable tenderness. “I’ve missed you.”
The words scrape something raw inside me.
“No,” my voice is quiet. “You missed controlling me.”
For the first time, something shifts behind his eyes. Not anger. Hurt. Real hurt. As though I’ve accused him of something unforgivable. As though I’m the one who’s betrayed him.
The realization makes my stomach turn. This isn’t an act. Adrian truly believes he loves me. He believes I abandoned him, that I broke his heart.
The smile returns, gentle and patient. The same smile he always wore before the fists started flying. He leans closer until his expensive cologne fills my lungs, his hand cupping my face.
“You were always coming back to me, sweetheart.”
And suddenly, I understand. He’s not trying to win me back. Adrian already believes he’s won. In his mind, this game is over. He’s beaten CJ. He’s beaten me. He’s brought me home.
“Fuck you.”
The words leave my mouth before I can reconsider them. His hand moves so fast I barely see it, and pain explodes across my face. My head snaps sideways, and blood floods my mouth before I hit the carpet.
He grabs my chin immediately, forcing my face back toward him. “Sweetheart,” he murmurs, almost disappointed. “Don’t be like that. Anger doesn’t suit you.”
Anger? He has no idea. He stole me from CJ. He stole my home, my family, my future. He took Finn.
Something hot and vicious uncurls inside my chest. This isn’t fear anymore. No. This is pure fucking rage. It burns through me, bright and violent. For the first time since he took me, I feel like I’m standing on my own feet again. My jaw aches from clenching my teeth, and for the first time since I escaped, I don’t want to run anymore. I want to fight.
Adrian settles back into the chair opposite me. Neither of us speaks. Neither of us looks away. He’s waiting for me to lower my eyes, waiting for me to become the frightened man he remembers.
Every instinct begs me to look away. I don’t.Fuck him.I pour every ounce of hatred I have into my stare.
He stands suddenly, and my body flinches before I can stop it.Fuck.
His smile returns instantly. “See?” he says softly. “Your body still knows me.”
My stomach twists. “You kidnapped me,” my voice shakes with fury. “You kidnapped Finn.”
He tilts his head. “No.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “No?”
“I’m bringing you home.”
The words hit me like poison. My stomach lurches violently, and I vomit onto the carpet.
